Finished A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole. This is the first book in her popular Immortals After Dark paranormal romance series. I’ve heard a lot of folks buzzing about this series, so I decided to give it a try.

This one’s about Emma Troy, a half-vampire, half-Valkyrie who journeys to Paris to try to find information about her mysterious parents. Emma doesn’t realize that she’s the mate of Lachlain, a Lykae (think werewolf/shapeshifter but different) who’s spent the last 150 years being tortured by vampires. But Lachlain knows what Emma means to him, and he vows to do anything to keep her by his side, even take on the Valkyries who’ve raised her and the vampires who seem to be stalking her …

I want to say up front that I didn’t really care for the way this book started — with Lachlain basically assaulting Emma, dragging her off to a hotel, and getting in the shower with her, among other things. It sort of fell into that whole forced seduction thing that I just don’t like as a reader. What can I say? It’s one of my pet peeves.

That being said, I really enjoyed the rest of the book. Cole’s world is different and interesting with all manner of paranormal creatures (ghouls, wraiths, etc.). I particularly like the fact that she focuses on the Valkyrie — this group of kick-butt women living in the bayou down in New Orleans. The Valkyrie are warriors, and Cole shows them being bad-asses — like when they attack Lachlain’s castle to rescue Emma and coolly inform Lachlain that he’s dead meat unless he cooperates.

I also liked how Emma grew as a character. She starts out as timid, shy, and afraid of her own shadow, but by the end of the book, she’s starting to realize her potential as a warrior — and stand up to the other Valkyrie, whom she’s always admired.

The plot moves along at a fast clip, the locales are interesting, and you get just enough teases about the other Valkyrie and their potential mates to set up future books (and make you want to read them).

I can see why folks have been buzzing about this series. Overall, it’s a fresh take in an increasingly crowded genre and worth getting hooked on. I plan on getting the next book. Thumbs up.

Up next: The Vampire Who Loved Me by Teresa Medeiros.

Books in my TBR pile: About 17.